The Sign-Up Board

June 7, 2019

Well over fifty years ago I was a college freshman. My ambitious goal was to graduate college in three years. It was a goal that I achieved. However, putting myself through college meant that I had to come up with a lot of money every semester to pay for tuition and books. I found that being an English Literature major can really eat up your wallet in a hurry. This was well before the days when prospective college students demanded a “free” education or were offered lavish student loans.

The two jobs that I worked throughout college came up short in supplying all the cash I needed. That fact inevitably brought me to the sign-up board. The sign-up board was located in the main administration building of Cal State Northridge (San Fernando Valley State College at the time). It was where all the calls for paid volunteers were posted. It was a magnet for students like myself who needed to earn extra money at any cost. What exactly did I sign-up for? Read on.

My first sign-up involved posing for an art class. It seemed innocent enough and it paid twenty dollars. Anything that paid twenty bucks or more was just fine by me. Of course I hadn’t read the fine print that included the word nude. The initial embarrassment was soon forgotten as I took my folding money proudly to the student book store to buy more literature. I always bought new books, refusing to deal with used versions that were often scribbled in and outlined by apparent morons. This costly decision simply meant that I had to take on more assignments at the sign-up board.

My next sign-up was to volunteer for a psychic study. I knew I wasn’t a soothsayer but I said what the hell; at $20 a pop for four sessions, I was going to make some serious money. I must interject here for the sake of my millennial friends that a eighty bucks was a lot of money in 1966. Twenty dollars an hour beat the hell out of the minimum wage which was $1.25. I did very well at “sensing” playing cards and genuinely enjoyed the sessions. I even learned a little more about myself.

I moved on to other various volunteer studies that involved mental telepathy, telekinesis, etc. They all paid that wonderful $20 per session so I was racking up enough money to actually get ahead of my book debt. In the process, I also found that I did indeed possess above average telekinesis abilities. You’re chuckling here, I know but seriously, I was able to move some small objects a little – No shit! But I really didn’t care; it was those multiple Jacksons that I was after!

Later sessions included speed reading, health studies, acoustic studies and a variety of semi-scientific studies where I performed the role of guinea pig extraordinaire. The money kept coming in and I was genuinely enjoying myself. I even bought a few books that I didn’t absolutely need.

There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for a buck or two back then (Well, actually twenty!). There were about four of us poor souls who constantly participated in every one of these studies and every Monday would find us all at the sign-up board looking for new ways to pay for our education. I continued with the sign-up board all the way throughout my undergraduate studies. Even today, I credit the sign up-board with allowing me to fully afford my education.

Money aside, the best thing about the sign-up board was that the participation was fun. With the notable exception of the art class incident, all of the sessions provided me with yet a bit more education and appreciation for the breadth of the human condition. I also enjoyed contributing to scientific studies in small but significant ways.

I haven’t set foot on a university campus since my post-graduate teaching days but I’ve often wondered if the sign-up board still exists. If you’re reading this and you are attending college (a real one), please take a moment and let me know if the sign-up board can still be found on college campuses. Thanks!

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This was a fun post, Allan. I don’t know if my college had a sign-up board (probably not) but if so, I wish I had known about it. I know we had a drive board where people were seeking riders to help pay for gas. (I did sign up with that a few times–as a passenger).

Your jobs were more interesting, but I worked in the university library! I’d never before had access to a large library and enjoyed getting paid plus reveling in books. You could even check out sheet music. My soph year, I needed more hours, so worked circulation, the office of the head librarian, and acquisitions.

My last college experience ended in 2007, but I don’t recall ever seeing such a thing. I remember a jobs board at one high school that I used to get some housekeeping work at homes of some locals. Sounds like your experience was way more pleasant and certainly paid better!